Aston Villa rejected an astonishing 40 offers for Jhon Duran during the summer, it has been revealed.
The club’s two recruitment chiefs Monchi and Damian Vidagany claim the club rejected an incredible amount of interest in the forward across the recently-shut window.
Duran had been linked with moves to fellow Premier League sides Chelsea and West Ham after growing frustrated by the lack of opportunities at Villa.
With Ollie Watkins ahead of him, Duran only managed to make 23 Premier League appearances, 20 of which were off the bench.
Jhon Duran still at Aston Villa despite 40 bids
Duran has come off the bench in all three of Aston Villa’s Premier League games so far, scoring two goals in just 82 minutes.
The Colombia international scored a 79th-minute winner against West Ham in their opening game, confirming he would be staying at Villa during his celebration.
Speaking to The Mirror, Monchi explained why they turned the bids down, saying: “Unai is very confident with Jhon Duran. Very confident. He thinks he can become one of the best strikers in the world in the next 12 months. He is 100 per cent convinced
“So, what is the problem? We also have Ollie Watkins and Duran wants to play. He thinks he is better than Watkins. That is normal because every player thinks he is better than their team-mates.
“To manage Watkins and Duran is not easy but at the end it is the best for the team. If you have two big strikers it is better than only one.”
Aston Villa’s director of football operations Damian Vidagany then added: “In every team there are two very, very important positions. Every position is important, of course, but the keeper and the striker are two very specfic positions.
“If you have a great keeper, the second keeper can be as good as he can be – but it’s difficult to change. If you have Ollie Watkins, it’s very difficult to find someone better because he is a great striker, maybe in the top two or three in the Premier League.
“Ollie is a top professional and high-quality striker. So, did Duran want to leave the club? Yes. That’s normal because he wants to play.
“There were no fewer than 40 clubs who wanted Duran – because everyone wanted him.”
With Ollie Watkins yet to score a goal this season, Duran is currently the club’s joint-top goalscorer alongside new signing Amadou Onana.
